This invention relates to colored contact lenses and methods of making colored contact lenses.
Colored contact lenses are often used for cosmetic purposes to change the apparent color of a wearer""s irises. For example, a person with brown or blue eyes desiring to have green eyes may wear green colored contact lenses to change the apparent color of a wearer""s iris to green.
Conventional colored contact lenses (also called cosmetic contact lenses) typically depend on the lens wearer""s iris structure to impart an apparent color change to the wearer""s iris. Such contact lenses have a colored iris pattern thereon. The pattern comprises discreet opaque color elements with generally non-colored areas (e.g., clear or slightly colored translucent areas) within the interstices of the pattern""s color elements. Knapp U.S. Pat. No. 4,582,402 discloses that a contact lens having an adequate amount of discreet opaque pigmented elements in the pattern combined with non-colored areas which permit the wearer""s iris structure to show through provides a sufficiently realistic and attractive illusion of iris color change to convince a casual observer that the iris color is natural, at least when the casual observer is at least five feet away.
A disadvantage associated with such prior art cosmetic contact lenses is that the apparent eye color of some people wearing the lenses does not look natural even when the casual observer is more than five feet away. In particular, the apparent color does not look natural when the actual color of the wearer""s iris is in sharp contrast with the opaque color of the contact lens pattern. Thus, for many people, such conventional cosmetic contact lenses are not a viable way for changing apparent iris color.
Another disadvantage associated with such prior art cosmetic contact lenses is that even when worn by wearers for whom the contact lenses are intended, the apparent iris color looks natural only when viewed from a distance of at least five feet by an ordinary viewer (i.e., a person having normal 20/20 vision). The ordinary viewer viewing the wearer""s eyes from a closer distance might determine that the pattern is not a naturally occurring pattern. In other words, the ordinary viewer might correctly determine that the wearer is wearing colored contact lenses.
Jahnke U.S. Pat. No. 5,414,477 and O""Campo U.S. Pat. No. 5,963,705, like the Knapp patent, disclose contact lenses having opaque intermittent elements and non-colored regions through which significant portions of the wearer""s iris structure are visible. These patents disclose making the intermittent elements of a single contact lens having up to three different color elements. The additional lens colors help to blend the color contrasting that occurs between the wearer""s iris and the colored elements placed on the contact lens. However, because the typical human iris has more than 1000 distinct colors, the prior art cosmetic contact lenses do not provide anything close to a universally appealing opaque contact lens.
Another disadvantage of conventional cosmetic contact lenses is that such lenses merely attempt to change the apparent color of wearer""s irises. The lens patterns of such cosmetic contact lenses do not emulate the detail and attractive structure of a natural human iris.
Among the several objects and advantages of the present invention may be noted the provision of an improved colored contact lens; the provision of such a colored contact lens capable of effectuating a natural appearing color change to irises of a larger group of people than prior art contact lenses; the provision of a contact lens capable of effectuating a natural looking change in the appearance of the wearer""s iris regardless of the actual color of the wearer""s iris; the provision of such a colored contact lens having an iris section colored in a manner to effectuate a change in the appearance of the wearer""s iris but which makes the presence of the contact lens substantially imperceptible to an observer observing the wearer""s eyes from a close distance; the provision of a colored contact lens which more closely resembles some of the intricate structural components a human iris; and the provision of a method of coloring a lens substrate to form a colored lens having a pattern of greater intricacy.
Generally, a method of the present invention is for coloring contact lenses. The method comprises storing a generally annular-shaped initial iris image in a computer. The initial iris image comprises a plurality of color elements. The method further comprises applying a filtering process to the initial iris image in a manner to replace at least portions of at least some of the color elements with generally uncolored regions to form a filtered iris image, and using a printer apparatus, in communication with the computer, in a manner to print the filtered iris image on a contact lens substrate.
Another aspect of the present invention is a colored contact lens comprising, a generally uncolored pupil region, a generally annular-shaped iris region surrounding the pupil region, and a multicolored pattern on the iris region. The iris region is adapted to cover at least 80% of a wearer""s iris when the wearer is wearing the contact lens, The multicolored pattern is sufficiently colored to change the apparent color of an iris of a person wearing the contact lens. The multicolored pattern comprises a plurality of color elements. More than 1000 discrete generally uncolored regions are defined by the color elements. At least 1000 of the discrete generally uncolored regions are sufficiently small such that an ordinary viewer viewing the contact lens from a distance of sixteen inches cannot detect the presence of any of the at least 1000 generally uncolored regions when the wearer is wearing the contact lens, the ordinary viewer having 20/20 vision.
Another aspect of the present invention is a colored contact lens comprising a generally uncolored pupil region and a generally annular-shaped iris region surrounding the pupil region and adapted to cover at least 80% of a wearer""s iris when the wearer is wearing the contact lens. A multicolored pattern is on the iris region. The multicolored pattern is sufficiently colored to change the apparent color of an iris of a person wearing the contact lens. The multicolored pattern comprises a plurality of color elements. A plurality of discrete generally uncolored regions are defined by at least some of the color elements. The generally uncolored regions are sufficiently small such that an ordinary viewer viewing the contact lens from a distance of sixteen inches cannot detect the presence of the generally uncolored regions when the wearer is wearing the contact lens. The generally uncolored regions are sufficiently large such that the generally uncolored regions contribute to the overall appearance of the contact lens as viewed by the ordinary viewer from a distance of sixteen inches, the ordinary viewer having 20/20 vision.
Another aspect of the present invention is a colored contact lens comprising a generally uncolored pupil region and a generally annular-shaped iris region surrounding the pupil region and adapted to cover at least 80% of a wearer""s iris when the wearer is wearing the contact lens. A multicolored pattern is on the iris region. The multicolored pattern is sufficiently colored to change the apparent color of an iris of a person wearing the contact lens. The multicolored pattern comprises a plurality of discrete color regions. Generally uncolored interstices are between at least some of the discrete color regions. The interstices are sufficiently small such that an ordinary viewer viewing the contact lens from a distance of sixteen inches cannot detect the presence of the interstices when the wearer is wearing the contact lens. The interstices are sufficiently large such that the interstices contribute to the overall appearance of the contact lens as viewed by the ordinary viewer from a distance of sixteen inches, the ordinary viewer having 20/20 vision.
Another aspect of the present invention is a colored contact lens comprising a generally uncolored pupil region and a generally annular-shaped iris region surrounding the pupil region and adapted to cover at least 80% of a wearer""s iris when the wearer is wearing the contact lens. A multicolored pattern is on the iris region. The multicolored pattern is sufficiently colored to change the apparent color of an iris of a person wearing the contact lens. The multicolored pattern comprises a plurality of color elements. The multicolored pattern comprises an annular-shaped outer region and an annular-shaped inner region. The outer region generally circumscribes the inner region. The outer region has a first plurality of generally uncolored regions defined by some of the colored elements. The inner region has a second plurality of generally uncolored regions defined by some of the colored elements. The first plurality of the generally uncolored regions combine to have a first aggregate uncolored area. The second plurality of the generally uncolored region combine to have a second aggregate uncolored area. At least 60% of the first aggregate uncolored area is comprised of generally uncolored regions each having an area not greater than approximately 900 square microns. At least 50% of the second aggregate uncolored area is comprised of generally uncolored regions each having an area greater than approximately 900 square microns.
Another aspect of the present invention is a colored contact lens comprising a generally uncolored pupil region and a generally annular-shaped iris region surrounding the pupil region and adapted to cover at least 80% of a wearer""s iris when the wearer is wearing the contact lens. A multicolored pattern is on the iris region. The multicolored pattern is sufficiently colored to change the apparent color of an iris of a person wearing the contact lens. The multicolored pattern comprises a plurality of color elements. The multicolored pattern comprises an annular-shaped outer region and an annular shaped inner region. The outer region generally circumscribes the inner region. The outer region has a first plurality of generally uncolored regions defined by some of the colored elements. The inner region has a second plurality of generally uncolored regions defined by some of the colored elements. Each of at least 60% of the generally uncolored regions of the first plurality of generally uncolored regions has an area not greater than approximately 900 square microns. Each of at least 50% of the generally uncolored regions of the second plurality of generally uncolored regions has an area greater than approximately 900 square microns.
Other objects and features will be in part apparent and in part pointed out hereinafter.